


Tale of Two Karas

by WishaDream



Series: Supercorp Slowburn AU (Part 1 in supercorp series) [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), supercorp - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Experiment gone wrong, F/F, Kissing, Longing, Pining, Puppy Kara, Romance, So Strange, SuperCorp, Two Karas, after lena knows kara is supergirl, cat kara, fixing a problem that isn't actually a problem, happens after red daughter season in series, if you can't tell i really miss red daughter, sleepover, takes place before wedding AU in personal timeline, the heart has a russian accent for some unexplained reason, until it is, what's a girl to do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24988135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream
Summary: An experiment gone wrong leaves Lena with two Karas. Oh no. (read that as the sound you make when there isn’t really a problem with what’s happened.)
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Supercorp Slowburn AU (Part 1 in supercorp series) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800259
Comments: 2
Kudos: 108





	Tale of Two Karas

“What exactly is this thing supposed to do?”

Lena rattled off the technical jargon knowing Kara wasn’t going to understand a word of it. The blonde listened intently, standing silent once Lena had finished as her mind worked to understand what it had just heard.

In the end it couldn’t make out a word of it as she let out a simple, “Oh, okay.”

Lena knew she didn’t get it, but it was cute that she had tried.

“Alright, so, initiating test run number one.”

The machine started up with a loud whir as Lena kept a close watch on the read outs. Things were going good at first, but quickly changed as the rumble of the machine grew louder as the room started to shake. As the sound increased so did the intensity of the vibrations.

Lena checked the readouts, frowning as what she was seeing did not make sense to her, “It’s not supposed to be going this. I don’t know what’s going on.” She messed with the controls, trying to turn it off but nothing happened. Except for the noise increasing in volume so that she had to yell to be heard over it, “It’s not shutting off. I don’t know--.”

She heard Kara let out a worried, “Lena!” as she looked up to see a burst of light coming towards them.

Something hit her as she felt Kara’s hands push her away. The force of the blast pushed her back further as she landed on her back. The wind was knocked out of her. She sat up just in time to see the wave hit Kara as she was lit up from the inside out. Then she was gone.

“Kara!” the cry choked in her throat as everything went black as the light completely blinded her.

Her eyes stung when she came to as the truth of what had happened glared brighter than the light that had…it was hard to swallow as she realized—she had killed Kara. Supergirl.

Somehow she had destroyed the girl of steel.

Her throat was tight with emotion as she slowly stood.

How was she going to go on without her?

“Lena?” “Lena?”

She heard her name as an echo. Her vision was still spotted from the bright light and things were blurry. A shape moved in the spot where Kara had once been.

“Lena?” “Lena?”

A mass separated from the ground. As her vision began to clear she saw her.

“Kara.” She said it softly as if afraid even the breath from her words might blow away this vision. “You’re alive.”

Another shape moved nearby.

“Kara?”

There were two of them.

Why were there two of them?

Two Kara’s, both of them—naked?!

“Lena, you’re okay!” One of them rushed over with super speed, scooping her up into their arms as they spun her around in a happy circle, laughing excitedly, “You’re okay.”

The second Kara let out a dry, “It would appear so.” Then turned away from the scene uninterested in the celebration.

Lena didn’t know where to look. Kara’s skin was right there. Her eyes went up to the ceiling.

Skin.

Sky.

Skin.

Sky.

Her face was flush with heat as the Kara hugging her let out a contended sigh as she rested her head against Lena’s chest. Lena’s arms were pinned at her sides, but even if she could move she wouldn’t have known where to put her hands.

“I brought lunch,” Alex came in, immediately dropping the bags she was carrying as she took in the explosion’s damage. Her eyes scanned the whole scene, finally coming to the confusing scene as the Kara holding Lena let out an excited, “Alex!”

Alex stood for a moment, her mouth hanging open. As she recovered she placed her hands on her hips in her patented take charge pose, “What the hell is going on?”

Lena’s neck flexed with discomfort as she did her best not to look down. Down where Kara’s chest pressed into her body. Nothing beween them but Lena’s own shirt.

“The experiment failed,” was her strained reply.

“Clearly,” went the second Kara as she adjusted a pair of glasses she wasn’t wearing.

The Kara holding her finally put her down as they rushed over to Alex. Lena’s vision saw only ceiling as she heard Alex let out an uncomfortable grunt as the Kara lifted her into the air.

“What happened?” Alex’s voice sounded strained as if the Kara was squeezing her tighter.

“I’m not sure.” Lena started to lower her eyes to look at Alex as she spoke but only saw skin.

Sky.

“We had all the needed safety measures in place. Lead lined wall, bullet proof glass, but even with all that a blast of energy got through and it…” her throat tightened at the memory of seeing Kara’s body light up with the impact then disappear completely, “it ionized Kara. When I came to there were two of her. I don’t know what happened or how it happened, but for now…” Kara was snuggling her head against Alex’s chest as she laughed excitedly, “I’m just glad she’s alive.”

Second Kara was looking off to the side as if everything about the moment annoyed her.

“I’ll get to work on fixing it now.”

Alex nodded, her arms straining as she tried to pry Kara off her, “And you are sure this—they are Kara?”

The words hit Lena like the cold splash of reality. That fact hadn’t occurred to her yet. That these two might not even be Kara. Matter could never truly be destroyed. Either they were parts of Kara, or they were something new.

Her chest felt tight as she forced out the words, “That should be the first test.”

Skin.

Sky.

“But before that, we should get them some clothes.”

“Agreed.”

____

It was only once both Kara’s were clothed that Lena noticed one of them, the hugger, spoke with a Russian accent.

Strange, but it wasn’t the strangest thing that had happened that day. She pushed the confusing thought to the back of her mind. She had more pressing matters to concern herself with.

The indifferent one chose one of Kara’s sets of clothes and her glasses while the other one chose the Supergirl outfit. She seemed to have only chosen it for the cape, which she swished back and forth behind her.

“I love this cape. I can do this,” she spun around in a circle as the cape spun around her, “And this,” she held the corners as she moved so that the cape ballooned out behind her, “And this.”

Lena tensed as she found herself suddenly wrapped up in the cape as well as Kara’s arm. The Russian Kara smiled happily as she said, “To keep you warm. You know, like that time at the fortress,” her voice softened as she admitted, “I wish Brainy hadn’t interrupted us.”

She felt her heart flutter at the longing in Kara’s voice.

It was cut short as Alex gave her a curious look. Lena shook her head with a look that said it wasn’t important.

Once clothed, the first thing Lena did was test their memories. Both passed, remembering all the things Lena asked, but focusing on different aspects of the memory. Supergirl-Kara seemed to embellish every story while playing up the pleasant side of each memory, while Kara-Kara kept things short and to the point.

Next she tested to see if the blast had taken away Kara’s super side.

“Can you bend this?”

She handed a lead pipe to the Kara who insisted on wearing Kara’s glasses. She looked bored by the thought, but tried, straining as nothing happened. Tossing the pipe to the side she let out an annoyed huff.

Lena turned to the second Kara who looked at her expectantly. She took the pipe with an excited grin, quickly bending the pipe as she looked at Lena as if waiting for something. Her eyes sparkling as if to say, “praise me. Praise me. Praise me.”

The light in her eyes went supernova when Lena gave her a, “Good job.”

Next Lena had them run on treadmills to test their speed. Glasses Kara just stood on the sides, yawning with boredom. Eager to please Kara immediately started running at full speed, breaking the treadmill.

Biting her lip she gave Lena a hurt look as she apologized.

“What have you found?” inquired Alex when she returned from updating the DEO.

“I believe whatever happened to Kara split her into these two…people. They are both Kara,” before Alex could ask she said, “I don’t know how. But each of them seems to embody a piece of her.”

She motioned to glasses Kara who was moving around the room like she was looking for something, “That one seems to embody her logic and deductive reasoning. The other one,” she looked around as she’d lost sight of her.

Something bumped her arm. She looked down to find the second Kara floating cross legged beside her. The girl smiled as she pressed the top of her head against Lena’s arm.

Lena pointed to her with her pen, “She appears to be the embodiment of Kara’s feelings and emotions. Basically her heart.”

Alex folded her arms, nodding as she took it all in, “And the other one is like her brain.”

“Would appear so.”

“What about her powers. Does Kara,” Alex moved her finger between both of them unsurely, “Still have her powers?”

“The heart appears to have retained most all of Supergirl’s abilities. I haven’t had a chance to check all of them, but so far the Brain has not reproduced any of Supergirl’s strength, speed, or ability to fly.”

The Kara floating beside her giggled as she hugged Lena’s arm to herself.

“For now I think its best we keep both of them here in the lab, just to keep an eye on them while I figure out how to put them back as one.”

“That sounds like the best idea. Who knows what trouble they could get into.”

Glasses Kara let out as annoyed grunt as she put down a stack of papers she’d been looking through.

“I’ll continue to run tests to see if I can’t figure out how this happened. It could help me with figuring out how to reverse it.”

“I’ll head back to the DEO then. With Supergirl out of commission we’re going to have to put some special measures into place.”

When Alex had left, Lena went over to what remained of the machine’s computer as she did what she could to salvage the motherboard.

“Why do you think this happened?” she turned back just as Kara-Kara was adjusting her glasses. She looked to have found a notebook, which she was quickly writing notes in.

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m trying to salvage the motherboard so I can check the data readouts.”

“What do you think went wrong?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m looking into it.”

Kara nodded, writing something down, “Was it user error, or were your calculations just wrong?”

Lena felt her jaw flex with annoyance as she curtly answered, “I really couldn’t say.”

Kara narrowed her eyes, “You’re getting awful defensive. Was this perhaps…on purpose? Did you want this to happen, Lena Luthor? Did you want to split me in two?” her eyes narrowed further as she leaned in close to Lena, studying her face, her reaction as she asked, “What are you hiding Lena Luthor? What don’t you want me to know?”

Lena’s body tensed under Not Kara’s intense gaze. There were so many things she was hiding. So many things she didn’t want Kara to know. So many things left unsaid. Left unspoken. So many wishes in the night. So many unexpressed longings.

She swallowed back them all as she reminded Kara, “I really don’t know how or why this happened, but once I figure it out you will be the first to know.”

That seemed enough of an answer for Kara as she nodded her head and headed off to continue her search around the lab.

Not Supergirl came over then, bouncing excitedly as she asked, “Do you need me to do anything? Whatever you need I can help.”

As soon as the question was posed Lena looked around the room. There was so much to do. So much left to do. Where to start? The computer was completely blown. What was there left to do?

Her pulse quickened as her breathing started to come in short gasps. It was all too much.

She had just wanted to help Kara, but now…

Sensing she was freaking out, Not Supergirl went, “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

Lena shook her head, “This is all my fault. I just wanted to help you and all I ended up doing…” Again she pictured Kara disintegrating. What if that had been the real Kara and these were just…copies? What if she was never able to get Kara back?

Supergirl helped her to the ground, where she knelt beside her, “It’s okay. Just breathe,” she started to rub her back, “You don’t have to do this on your own. I am here. We are here to help you. This isn’t your fault. It was just an accident, okay?”

She closed her eyes and for a moment let herself believe that this was Kara, her friend, smiling at her. All she had to do was ignore the Russian accent.

She took a deep breathe to calm her nerves and smiled, “You’re right. No use in crying over exploded atoms. Let’s get to work.”

Standing up, Not Supergirl inquired, “You want me to lift something.”

“That would be helpful. If you can help me take apart the machine I can check its inner workings and figure out how this started.”

They worked on that for a bit till Lena realized she hadn’t seen the other Kara in a while, “Wait. Where is the other one?” She started to call her name, “Kara.” No response. “Kara.”

Her heart started to race as she considered all the possibilities. Dark possibilities. She took a breath to stop herself from going further; panicking was not going to help anything.

She started to search the lab, finding the other girl lounging in a chair. “Kara, I was calling you. Why didn’t you answer?”

Indifferently the girl replied, “I didn’t realize you were looking for me. I thought you were looking for the other one. We both have the same name. You can see my confusion.” She adjusted her glasses.

Lena let out a tired sigh, “You are right. What name would you prefer I call you?”

“Kara.”

The other one smiled brightly, “Whatever you want is fine.”

She gave the girl a quick once over, “With the way you are dressed I will call you Supergirl.”

Taking in both girls, one dressed as Kara, one dressed as Supergirl, she realized it was like a year ago. Back when she had thought she had two separate friends: Kara and Supergirl. But now she actually had two separate beings and yet they were both still Kara.

And yet they weren’t.

She had mixed feelings on the whole matter as it brought up the struggle that had come with realizing Kara had lied to her.

Wanting to ignore all that, she told the two women, “How about we take a break?”

Supergirl looked upset at the idea, “We’re not done yet.”

“We’re not going to finish all this in a day. Let’s just take a break now and eat.”

“I could eat,” stated Kara. And she did eat. And eat. And eat. Like she had been the one lifting all the heavy objects.

Supergirl ate quickly then said, “I should get back to work. I’d like to finish what I started. Should I clean up?”

“No. I wouldn’t be there to check the equipment. I need to be there for find what caused all this.”

“Then can I do something else?”

“Just relax…Supergirl,” it felt so strange to say, especially when she knew it wasn’t her, “You don’t always have to be doing something.”

Something about their conversation seemed to pique Kara’s interest as she set aside her sandwich and pulled out her notebook, “What does Lena Luthor, tech wiz, do to relax?”

She thought for a moment then said, “I don’t know.”

“Oh, I know,” Supergirl jumped up, “We should have a dance party.”

She went over to Lena’s music player, flipping through the music as she let out an annoyed grumble, “Why do you have so much classical music?” Eventually she let out an excited yelp as she declared, “I know this one. I love this one.”

The song started to play as Supergirl turned and danced towards the other two, body swaying along with the beat.

“Come. Dance.” She motioned for them to join her as the song started to build up.

Lena laughed.

“You said we should relax”

Lena’s heart shivered as Supergirl took a hold of her hands, pulling her out to a clear part on the floor. Her heart let out a disappointed whine as Supergirl let her go as she started to dance alone while singing along with the lyrics.

“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody. I wanna feel the heat with somebody, with somebody who loves me.”

Lena’s heart shivered. For a moment it felt like Kara was singing to her. But no, this wasn’t Kara. It wasn’t even Supergirl. This person may have had her face and memory, but this was someone entirely different.

“You dance terribly,” stated Kara. Not Kara. She dropped back her head, letting out a begrudging groan as she joined the party only to show Supergirl how she should be dancing.

As the song continued to play, Lena let herself get lost in the moment. :Laughing as the three joined hands as they danced together. For the rest of the song she forgot all her worries and concerns over what was real and what she was imagining.

Alex came in just as the song was fading out. “Am I interrupting something?”

“We were just taking a break.”

Another song started up, she left them to it as she went over to talk privately with Alex.

Alex folded her arms, watching her sister for a moment, “Have you found anything yet?”

“I believe I found the source of the problem. Now I just need to figure out why the machine broke and how it did that,” she motioned back to the two Kara’s.

Alex let out a tired sigh, “We’ll try our best to pick up the slack with Supergirl gone, but I’m afraid the bad guys aren’t going to hold back and give her a day off.”

While the two Kara’s continued to dance, Lena got back to work. Eventually she felt something watching her and turned to find Supergirl starting at her. Her chin was resting on the table and as soon as Lena looked at her, Supergirl’s iris’ grew as she stared back at her expectantly. If she’d had a tail, Lena was sure it would have been wagging.

Though she wasn’t saying anything, Lena could almost hear the request in her eyes, “Attention. Attention. Pay me attention.”

Though she wasn’t sure how Supergirl wanted the attention, something made her reach out as she patted Supergirl’s head. Her hair was soft and for a moment she was lost in the feeling of running her fingers through the strands. As soon as she did the girl’s face broke out in a smile.

Lena laughed lightly as she returned to typing. She had to stop as Supergirl took one of her hands, pressing it to her cheek as she let out a contented sigh. The look on her face made Lena’s heart ache with longing. If only Kara were always this way, always this open with her feelings.

Shaking herself, she reminded herself that Kara did not feel that way about her. She was Kara’s friend, nothing more. It was a struggle to swallow as her feelings bunched in her throat. She went back to typing, having to use one had to write as her other was held captive by Kara: just like her heart. 

_____

Lena rubbed the back of her neck, letting out a tired sigh.

“When was the last time you slept?” Alex was back, looking concerned as she took in her friend’s tired state.

Lena thought, shaking her head as she couldn’t even remember.

“You already spent several days working on the machine,” she motioned to what remained of it, “Go home. Get some rest. Come back refreshed tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on the Kara’s.”

She wanted to object but she knew Alex was right. Her mind was practically buzzing with bees with how tired she was.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Seeing her heading to the door, Supergirl bounced over, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back.”

She smiled as she gave Supergirl a pat on the head before leaving the lab.

A shower had felt nice. Alex was right. She needed this.

A knock at the door drew her to the front room where she opened to find Supergirl on the other side.

She was immediacy hugged as the girl lamented over how, “I missed you so much. Why did you leave? Did I do something wrong? Do you not like me anymore?” sad puppy dog eyes.

Lena patted her head again, making Supergirl smile brightly.

Past her she saw Kara standing with a frown. She was holding a leash which was wrapped around Supergirl’s waist--as a way to keep track of her?

Seeing the question in Lena’s eyes, Kara explained, “Dummy here,” she motioned to Supergirl, “I tried to explain to her that you were going to be back the next morning, but she seems to have no concept of time or the passage of it.”

Lena had them come in while she went to get her phone. After letting Alex know where they had gone, they both decided it would be best for the pair to stay with Lena for the night.

When she hung up she found Kara digging in her trash, “What are you doing?”

“Looking for clues.”

When she gave them the news, Supergirl let out an excited cheer, “Yay, sleepover.”

But first they needed to eat. Supergirl volunteered to help, while Kara took a seat on the couch, “You’ve got this.”

Supergirl started out helpful, cutting up whatever Lena told her. As the prep went on she started to take note of how frequently Supergirl’s hand touched her hand. It wasn’t just now, but when they had been working to pull away the rubble at the lab. A casual brush of the shoulder. A bump of the knee against her leg. They always seemed to reach for the same object. Each time their hands touched Supergirl’s featured seemed to glow like it brought her the greatest joy. As if she needed not only visual proof of Lena’s presence, but also physical proof.

When all that was left to do was cook, Supergirl became like a Koala bear, hugging Lena from behind as she tried to cook. Closing her eyes, she let herself indulge in the domestic fantasy. Just the two of them. An intimate moment. A meal made for two.

Reality came back as Supergirl set her chin on her shoulder, asking in her Russian accent, “When is it going to be done?”

What was Supergirl doing? Was she trying to alert Lena to some deep desire in Kara’s heart? Something she didn’t even realize herself was there. Feelings she could only express when part of her was missing.

Lena’s eyes drifted to the couch where Kara was eyeing the pair with a look like if she’d had laser eyes she would have used them on Supergirl.

Was there more to Supergirl’s need to be near Lena, to be in constant contact with her. She longed to ask her, to turn in her embrace and wrap her own arms around her. To whisper to her all the things her heart longed to say. But no, not like this. Not with this person that was Kara and yet not quite Kara. Even if this Kara accepted her feelings it wasn’t her Kara. And she couldn’t be sure that those feelings would actually be Kara’s

From the couch she heard Not Kara let out a displeased sound, “Let her work, Supergirl. You’re not helping.”

“I am too.”

It actually was more of a hindrance than a help to be wrapped up in her arms. Then for whatever reason Supergirl started to slide her hands down Lena’s forearms. She was reminded of the scene in Ghost and had to think of quadratic equations to keep herself in the moment. A pain in her finger brought her completely back as she realized she’d cut herself.

“Stupid knife,” went Supergirl, as she crushed the blade in her hand. As the metal collapsed in her tight hold a trickle of red issued from her hand.

“Kara!”

Annoyed, “What?” from the couch.

“Supergirl. I mean Supergirl.” She took her hand, pulling her to the sink as she started to wash away the blood. It wasn’t that serious, just a little worse than a paper cut. Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant, “You’re not invulnerable.”

“I could have told you that.”

She snapped around to look at the one on the couch, “Then why didn’t you?”

An indifferent shrug, “You never asked.”

While Lena was panicked by the idea of Supergirl bleeding, the blonde wasn’t fazed. She even felt excited by the idea of having to wear a Band-Aid.

“Do you have any with cartoon characters on them?”

“Sorry, I don’t.”

She looked disappointed but smiled brightly once the bandage was on, “So cool.”

Once dinner was done, Lena got them some bedding to set up in the living room before heading off to her bathroom to get ready for bed. As she brushed her teeth she heard the bathroom handle rattle briefly then quickly like when someone was trying to break in. Her pulse quickened as she held out her toothbrush defensively.

Through the door she heard Supergirl call out in a winy tone, “What is taking you so long? Are you done yet?”

There was knock as Kara added, “I had some questions about this page I found in your trash.”

“Lena, I’m lonely. Come spend time with me. I miss you.”

For a moment Lean imagined two sets of paws, puppy and cat paws, sticking under the bottom of her door, begging for her attention. Leaning back on the sink she let out an amused laugh as she shook her head.

“You two are ridiculous.”

____

In the living room she noticed only one blanket and pillow had been set up. She took a moment to look around for the other before asking, “Where is the other bedding?”

Kara pointed to Lena’s room. With a roll of her eyes she said, “Supergirl insisted she couldn’t bear to have you out of her sight.”

Lena’s heart fluttered at the words, but she reminded herself it was just in the girl’s nature to protect. Still, she had to wonder at this level of clinginess from her friend. None of which had landed on Alex whom the girl adored.

It was best not to think on it. She had experienced enough heartache in other relationships by going down the wrong trail.

Though Supergirl had followed them into the living room she wasn’t there now as Lena gave Kara a goodnight.

She let out a grunted goodnight, sounding annoyed, as she sharply pulled her blanket over her shoulder.

“Did you want to move your stuff in my room too? We can stay up talking for a bit.”

Kara’s nose crinkled in disgust at the very idea, “I don’t need your pity. I know she’s your favorite.”

It was strange to think of Kara as jealous. More so of herself.

The idea made Lena laugh. Then it occurred to her that the object of Kara’s jealousy had to do with her. That sobered her as she shook her head.

That could not be the case.

Lena’s room was dark when she went inside. She saw the blankets on the floor beside the bed, but could not make out the shape of Supergirl’s body. Her heart quivered at the thought of sleeping in the same room as her friend. Not that it meant anything. Supergirl was nothing more than a guard dog right now.

Getting into bed, she felt a weight on the other side of the blankets as she tried to pull them to her. She hesitated in speaking the name of the one her heart wished to find beside her.

Finally she said it, “Supergirl.”

Even in the dark she could see the flash of the Super’s smile.

“I thought you were sleeping on the floor.”

“I can’t see you from the floor.”

Her heart ached as she knew the reason behind her desire to see Lena had nothing to do with the reason she longed to hear.

Lena shook her head to shake out the thoughts that tried to gather. It wasn’t exactly how she had imagined having Kara in her bed.

There was nothing but silence between them now. If Lena wished she could reach out and touch her. Could pull her close and…this wasn’t her Kara.

“Who are you?”

Supergirl gave her a soft smile, “You know who I am.”

“I know what the tests and data tell me. But…what are you?”

“You already said. I’m Kara’s feelings. Her heart.”

“But…how much of her heart are you? The things you do, are they all the things Kara would do if she only had her heart to guide her?”

Supergirl smiled as if she knew what Lena really wanted to ask her. She nodded as if to give her the go ahead.

“Do you…Does she ever think about me when she’s lying in bed at night? Does she ever wonder about me?” She stopped as she realized asking this was like looking into Kara’s diary uninvited, “No, it’s fine. Don’t answer.”

“Why not?”

“You are like Kara’s heart without a filter. It wouldn’t be right for me to peer into her feelings without permission.”

At Supergirl’s confused expression she explained, “It would be like using truth serum on her and then asking all these intimate things. She wouldn’t really be telling them to me. I would be forcing her. If she is to expose her heart, to tell me her deepest truths, I want her to do it because she wants to,” her tone was bitter as she said, “Not because some strange experiment has put her heart completely on display to me”

Her voice caught before she spoke the words, “As a friend it’s my job to protect her heart. Even from myslf.”

“But Kara not exposing her heart is what hurt you,” stated Supergirl, “If she had no inhibitions she would have told you a long time ago her secret about being Supergirl. Then you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“That’s not true. Even if this had happened before then and you had told me the truth that weighed on her heart I still would have been hurt. More so because it wouldn’t have been her telling me,” she closed her eyes as she recalled how that had been the case. Lex had been the one to spill Kara’s secret. That fact still hurt, even now.

“I don’t need you to tell me how Kara feels about me. Or if she feels anything about me. I’ll wait until she is ready.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Lena pressed her lips together as she lifted her eyes to the back of her bed. She could find out everything now. The truth behind every confusing interaction. Behind every prolonged look. Even things Kara did not know herself. Things she kept secret even from herself.

“Yes, I’m sure I don’t want to know.”

Silence filled the room again as all the questions on Lean’s heart filled her mind. Some which she didn’t even have the words to voice. Before she could put a name to any of them she felt the heavy pull of sleep as it drug her down.

She came awake. It was still dark outside though she could just make out the lump that was Supergirl in front of her. She felt the thing that had awoken her shift behind her as it pressed into her back. Turning her head she found the thing to be Kara, snuggling into her. Seeing the way she curled into her, Lena was reminded of a cat. A creature that only wanted to be there when you didn’t know or want them.

But she did want Kara. So bad it hurt.

_____

Lena hadn’t done as much work as she would have liked that first day. Supergirl, or Puppy-Kara, as she had started to call her in her mind, never left her side. On the second day in the lab, her clinginess only seemed to increase as she insisted on carrying Lena bridal style around the lab.

It was cumbersome. She realized she needed to come up with something creative if she was going to get any work done. Pointing to an object across the room she asked Puppy-Kara to get it for her. That gave her exactly two seconds to mix some chemicals before a breeze signaled Supergirl’s quick return.

She set down the requested object then waited expectantly for her reward. Lena reached out, squeezing her arm as thanks. This wasn’t going to be her solution.

The other Kara had spent most of the first day exploring. Today she seemed to have claimed a chair and was napping in it. She came awake, startled at a loud crash.

“Oops,” went Supergirl, her face and body scrunching with a sheepish grin, “Sorry.”

How had Lena not realized ages ago that Supergirl and Kara were the same person?

But right now they were two separate people. She needed to fix that.

She started pacing, lost in thought as she took a moment to sit down as she looked over her tablet. A sound took her attention away as she looked up to find Kara staring at her intently. What did she want? Did she also want a head scratch? No, every time Lena tried to touch her she dodged her hand like Lena’s skin was made of lava.

Then she realized she was sitting in the chair Kara had been napping in before the crash. Kara’s expression confirmed this as her eyes seemed to say, “That’s my seat. Get out of my seat.”

As Lena remained, Kara started to pace back and forth like a lion in a cage, her gaze fully fixed on Lena. Now it was like she was asking, “Why do you have to sit in my seat?”

She paused in front of another chair for a moment, her hand resting on it like, “Wouldn’t you rather have this seat.” Finally she gave up as she let out an annoyed huff before turning away to go sulk in a corner.

Eventually Lena did get up, feeling restless as she continued to contemplate the problem of two Kara’s. Behind her she heard a disturbance. Kara was running over to PK as she took the seat Lena had just vacated. Cat-Kara insisted she needed to vacate the seat as she tried to push PK out. Using her super strength, PK retained her seat. This annoyed CK as the two broke out in a slap fight.

“Hey,” the two froze, looking at Lena before darting apart as if nothing had happened.

Letting out an amused laugh, Lena returned her eyes to the tablet. It was strange to see Kara like this, but also nice. It was like she was seeing a whole new side of Kara. But…was it actually Kara?

She remembered the look on PK’s face as she’d held Lena’s hand to her cheek.

Her heart fluttered.

Best not to think about it.

___

Both Kara’s helped Lena as she continued to work. Whereas a pet on the head seemed to be enough thanks for PK, Cat-Kara did not respond well to praise.

Whenever Lena thanked her, or told her good job she’d respond with a curt, “I know,” before turning away with a look of disinterest. Not that she even did that much work. Whatever task Lena gave her, sooner her later she’d find PK finishing it for CK.

“What? She was happy to.”

Eventually Lena figured out the best way to get CK to do things was to act like she didn’t want her to. “No, leave that alone.”

If CK didn’t think she was wanted somewhere that made her want to be there all the more. Once she started ignoring her, Lena found CK floating around her more often, as she leaned in to look over Lena’s shoulder, “What are you working on now?”

But as soon as Lena would try to engage her, CK would pull away, seeming to instantly lose interest. She was such a cat, Lena considered getting her choker with bell.

Picturing it, Lena started to laugh to herself.

PK came over, shaking with excitement as she asked, “What are you laughing about? I want to know.” This only made Lena laugh harder. “What? What?”

From her seat, CK cast them both an annoyed look, but Lena knew now it wasn’t anger but FOMO. The feeling of missing out on things she had chosen not to engage in.

Did Kara actually have a side like this? Were these actually her shattered pieces?

____

Alex rushed into the lab, looking panicked as she stated, “We need Supergirl.”

There was a robbery going on at the local museum. A group of anarchists were holding the occupants hostage. They had highly dangerous alien tech which prevented the local PD from engaging.

“We can’t go in either,” explained Alex as they made their way to the scene, “Not without risking civilian lives.”

“Sometimes lives have to be lost for the greater good,” stated CK coldly.

Alex frowned but did not address the words, as she asked Lena, “Do you think Supergirl is up for it?”

She recalled the previous night and the cut on PK’'s finger. Before she could alert Alex to the information, Supergirl spoke up, “Yes. I want to help. I like to help.”

Alex looked satisfied by the answer as she continued, “The DEO already has the place surrounded. We just need Supergirl to head inside and take out the guns. We can take care of the rest after that.”

Things were tense when they arrived at the scene. PK didn’t seem to notice as she beamed brightly while greeting everyone by name.

“Okay, Supergirl,” Alex took a hold of PK’s shoulders to get her attention, “We need you to go inside and take out all the--Supergirl, focus. There are twenty men in there that—Supergirl.” Alex let out a frustrated groan as Supergirl had become distracted by a red balloon floating by.

Lena stepped up, placing her hand on Alex’s shoulder, “Let me see if I can’t talk to her. Supergirl,” PK turned her complete attention on Lena, looking eager to please as she waited for her instructions, “I need you to go inside and take out the guns so the DEO can go in--.”

A rush of wind and PK was gone. Another blast of air and she was back, balancing all twenty guns in her arms as she smiled proudly, “These?”

Lena and Alex stared in stunned silence then Alex turned to the agents around, “Go, go. Go.”

PK practically glowed as she leaned down next to Lena, waiting for her head pat. Lena stroked her hair as Alex pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I guess that works, but—.”

Cries issued from inside the building. Over the comms those who had gone inside informed Alex that the criminals still had their guns. Lena took one of the guns from PK, looking it over as a frown spread across her face.

“These are prop guns. Probably from an exhibit in the museum.”

They looked at PK whose eyes started to water, “You said take the guns. The only other guns inside looked like they were being used. I didn’t want to take them so I found these hanging on a wall.”

“You really should have sent in someone with more brains,” stated CK with a tilt of her glasses.

Alex let out a tired sigh as she pulled out her gun and headed inside to help out.

Lena looked back from where Alex had gone, her eyes widening when she saw PK wasn’t there anymore.

“Where’s Pup-where’s Supergirl?”

CK pointed at the building. “She said something about making up for having disappointed you and headed inside.”

Lena frowned as she recalled that this Supergirl was not bullet proof. “I have to save her.”

Something pulled at her arm as she started away. CK was holding on as she shook her head, “Why? You will just put yourself in danger. She’s the one that has super powers. She can take care of herself. This doesn’t make sense.”

Lena felt tightness in her throat that kept her from saying, “love doesn’t always make sense.” But knew CK wouldn’t understand. Pulling away, she hurried inside.

Behind she heard CK’s footsteps follow, but she didn’t care, she needed to find Supergirl. Gunfire could be heard ahead. Against her better judgment she headed in the direction of it. If Supergirl would be anywhere it would be right in the middle of danger.

She ducked as she entered the room, just dodging laser fire as she dove behind a display case. Taking a moment to peak around she saw Alex and the other DEO agents firing at the anarchists. Several hostages were ducked down, looking panicked as they tried not to get hit. She searched for the familiar blue but did not see it.

“Where is she?”

“She probably got distracted by a butterfly.”

CK was ducked down beside her, pressed against her as they both hid behind the same display case.

Lena let out a perturbed breath, but did not argue. Yes, she’d forgotten. This wasn’t the Supergirl she knew and…peeking over the top of the display case she finally spotted the familiar red of Supergirl’s cape.

“There she is.”

She wasn’t distracted but she did look confused as her gaze floated back and forth between the shooters, the hostages, and the DEO. The expression on her face looked torn as if she didn’t know what to do first.

Finally with an exasperated sigh she called out, “If you need my help, raise your hand.”

Many of the hostages were too scared to move but a few lifted their hands as they were the first ones PK rushed out of the museum.

“I need to get closer.”

CK tried to grab her again but she moved quickly as she moved from one hiding spot to another

“She’s not worth it,” hissed CK.

She was to Lena.

As she moved closer she heard Alex calling out orders for the DEO to move closer, to get in where they could help the remaining hostages get out. PK was back, asking again who needed help as she started taking out more and more of the hostages. But the better thing would be for her to take out the gunmen.

She needed to get closer to let PK know.

Now on all fours, she avoided broken glass and other dangerous items as she crawled closer. Pausing for a moment she noticed a shoe land beside her hand. Looking up, one of the gunmen glared down at her.

As he leveled his gun the thought came to her that this time Supergirl would not be there to save her.

Before he could fire a beam of light issued from behind her, hitting the man in the hand as he cried out, dropping his gun.

“Get away from her,” ordered CK as she lifted her glasses back in front of her eyes.

“You have the laser vision?”

Before CK could respond, Lena heard more footsteps as she turned to see three more anarchists running towards them. Just as they got close to Lena, CK let out a blast of cold air that sent them flying back.

“And the super breath, it seems,” went CK, looking nonplussed by the information.

“Hey, what’s going on?” inquired PK as she landed between Lena and the fallen men.

“We’re cleaning up the mess you made,” replied CK bluntly.

PK frowned, “Hey, I’m doing my best. It’s just hard to tell the difference between the good guys and bad guys sometimes.”

“The bad guys have guns.”

“Alex has a gun. Does that make her bad guy?”

Lena stood up as she reminded the pair, “We don’t have time for this.”

The pair looked to want to argue more but before they could they both spotted something. PK called out Kara’s name as CK ran at her. She turned seeing more men coming at them, guns raised. A hand grabbed her, pulling her in as she found herself wrapped in PK’s arm as she lifted her cape to block the oncoming lasers. As those bounced off CK used her arctic breath to knock more gunmen down.

“Don’t worry, Lena, I’ve got you,” PK wore Kara’s confident smile as she looked into her eyes. For a moment Lena forgot that this wasn’t Kara, but then another hand grabbed her, pulling her into the chest of CK, who snapped in annoyance, “I’ll get you out of here.”

Hand in hand they ran back through museum as behind them Lena heard the men cry out as more followed them.

“Get them!” ordered one man as she felt the heat of a laser flash past. A wind rushed by and Lena was floating in the museum rafters in PK’s arms.

“You’re safe.”

“I had her!” called up CK.

Below them the men looked up, firing off their guns as PK floated back and forth, dodging the blasts.

“Stop showing off and finish them!” ordered CK.

“You do it,” called back PK.

Lena touched PK’s chest, drawing her attention to her, “I really need those gunmen arrested so I can be safe.”

PK smiled brightly with a look in her eyes like “your wish is my command.”

A rush of wind and Lena was back on the ground. A blur of blue and red and all the gunmen were handcuffed. PK stood proudly, hands on hips, chest puffed out. Off to the side CK folded her arms and sulked.

The DEO came over a moment later to take into custody the gunmen. Alex passed PK and CK, giving them both wary looks as she headed straight to Lena.

“That did not go well.”

Lena could not argue with that.

Alex looked back again at the women that were her sister, “We need this fixed. Now.”

Lena nodded. It might have been a nice fantasy to have two Kara’s, but as they were now they weren’t helping anyone. 

_____

The machine whirred to life, finally finished. It was time to put Kara back together.

As Lena put the final numbers into the machine’s computer she heard PK let out a pitiful sigh.

“Do we have to do this?” she looked at Lena with a hopeful smile, “We could figure out some way to make it work.”

Off to the side, looking like she didn’t care in the least, CK, “Kara always had a problem balancing her life between being Kara and Supergirl. Now she can be both.”

Lena’s chest felt tight as she also reminded them, “But I fell—I care for Kara. Both sides. Supergirl and Kara. Though for a time I did think they were two separate people, seeing her split like this, it doesn’t feel like her. It doesn’t feel whole. When I’m with you,” she motioned to Supergirl, “it feels like something is missing. Same with you.”

CK’s head dropped, obviously upset no matter how hard she tried to play it off.

Lena rested her hand on the computer top as she let out a long sigh, “It’s hard to explain, but…I’m sorry. It’s just not the same. There’s something missing. You are two halves of a whole and I want the whole person back.

“But I will miss you both.”

CK lifted her chest, looking to have regained her emotions as she confidently replied, “Of course you will.”

Lena laughed lightly as CK stepped into the machine.

PK paused at the door, looking back for a moment. Then she was in front of Lena, touching her hand to her cheek. She felt the pressure of PK’s fingertips drawing her in. She didn’t have to try hard as Lena met her halfway, their lips touching as they kissed. It was everything Lena had wanted and yet…it wasn’t her.

Supergirl was smiling as they pulled apart, “Something to remember me by,” then she was inside the machine.

The readout blurred as Lena fought to keep from crying. More than that she fought not to think about what the kiss had meant. Was that Kara who had kissed her or PK? She couldn’t dwell on it.

Her hands shook as she put in the final orders then pressed send. Even with all the questions swirling in her mind more than answers she just wanted her back. Even if it meant she’d never be able to kiss Kara again.

A bright flash of light later and it was done. Kara was back. But without any memory of the last few days.

“You really don’t remember?” asked Alex as she pulled away from a third hug with her sister.

Kara shook her head, “It’s weird. Last thing I remember was the machine going crazy, a blast of energy coming at me, and then nothing.”

“It’s probably best you don’t remember any of it,” stated Alex with a laugh.

Kara gave her a crooked smile, not looking completely sure why she’d said that. Looking at Lena she said, “I heard you were the main one that had to put up with all of me. Sorry if I caused you any problems.”

“It wasn’t that much of a problem.”

Kara grimaced as she asked, “I didn’t do anything super embarrassing that I need to do relationship damage control on I hope.”

Lena’s hand started to go to her lips but she stopped it, keeping it pressed against her leg. Still, she felt her face flush as she shook her head, “Oh uh, no. Nothing.”

Kara nodded, smiling just like PK had. Not PK, Kara. This was Kara now. Always had been. Right?

Lena shook her head, not sure at all about what any of it meant. She needed to run more tests.

“Hey,” Kara smiled at her as they left the lab, “are you sure you want to destroy the machine?”

“It’s dangerous.”

Kara laughed as she jokingly said, “You just don’t want people seeing your mushy gushy heart version running around.”

Lena smiled as if that were the case. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

She hadn’t considered it, but now that she was, her only fear was that there would be no heart version of her.

But she didn’t say any of that as the trio headed off together. One Lena and one Kara. Together again. 

Bonus

“It’s uncanny,” stated J’onn.

“When they stand next to each other I can’t even tell them apart,” went Nia.

Brainy’s nostrils flared with annoyance as he declared, “You must be joking. We look nothing alike.”

Him and CK exchanged looks again, as if to confirm, before nodding and looking back at the group with derision.

“They must be joking,” stated CK as she adjusted her glasses, “A poorly constructed joke.”

As the group watched them, both Brainy and CK clasped their hands behind their backs as they puffed out their chests.

Behind her hand, Nia inquired of Lena, “Do you think Kara is shadowing Brainy because that’s what her mind attributes with intelligence, talking and moving like Brainy?”

Lena covered a laugh as she shook her head, “I really don’t know. But it is scary how similar they are.”

Another exchanged look between the pair, as their lips curled up in disgust.

“We look nothing alike,” said in unison this only made their friends laugh harder.

**Author's Note:**

> author's note: the story started out with the desire to have Kara realize something about her feelings for Lena after having a fight over her with Red Daughter. But that story ended with Red Daughter dying and I didn't want to go through that again. As the story germintaed the idea of two Kara's reminded me of an episode of the Aladdin Tv series in which Aladdin is split into two, the logical and the emotional, and so the story grew from there.


End file.
